


Passing the Torch

by AuryonBlack



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, Canon-Typical Violence, Coming of Age, Friendship, Fuuinjutsu, Gen, Kenjutsu, Major Original Character(s), Mentors, Mokuton, Multi, Naruto-sensei, Post-Canon, Root Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:55:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22535080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuryonBlack/pseuds/AuryonBlack
Summary: The Will of Fire has been passed on from parent to child, teacher to student, mentor to pupil. Now it’s time for Naruto to train a genin team.
Relationships: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi & Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto & Original Character(s), Uzumaki Naruto & Yamato | Tenzou
Comments: 9
Kudos: 41





	1. Naruto-sensei

**Author's Note:**

> I did not want to watch Naruto Shippūden. I did not want to like a new fandom. I definitely did not want to get inspiration stuck in my head for a fanfic. I blame my partner entirely for this. 
> 
> It’s been years since I’ve written fanfiction in general and this is my first time writing for an anime. However a plot bunny has burrowed in deep and I have the time. I’ve chosen to include honourifics as I like how they imply relationships between people or how relationships develop. I’ll also use Japanese terms for proper nouns such as place names and titles (Konoha, Rokudaime) and generally use the English sub as a guide how to approach jutsu names. I think that covers everything.
> 
> As a fanfiction writer, I write purely for fun and as a creative outlet. So I hope I can bring some enjoyment to you, my readers. Comments are encouraged as I love hearing your thoughts.
> 
> ~ciao Auryon

“You want me to lead a genin team?”

To say that Naruto was surprised would be an understatement. His chopsticks hovered midair as he dropped the noodles back in the bowl. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, finding himself speechless for once.

He should have suspected that Kakashi had ulterior motives when treating him to Ichiraku’s. It was almost as if it were a game to Kakashi to come up with new and creative ways to dodge the bill; even if he was the Hokage now. However it was not in Naruto’s nature to assume that ramen with friends was anything but ramen with friends. So he had cheerfully met his sensei and proceeded to fill him in on the recent news of the former team seven.

It was rare that they had time to meet up for something not work related these days. Team Kakashi had been officially disbanded once Naruto had made jōnin. Kakashi put in long hours as the Rokudaime Hokage to ensure the continuing peace between the hidden villages. Sakura worked at the hospital when she was not out on a mission. Sasuke had not returned to Konoha since he had been released from prison. He was still on a self-inflicted journey to atone for his sins. Officially, Sai worked for the Intelligence division while Yamato was head of Konoha and the Hokage’s security team. Unofficially, they had both returned to ANBU. Naruto was high in demand; Konoha needed him active and visible to remind others of their greatest strength. He was routinely sent out on missions and more increasingly as Kakashi’s representative for meetings between the villages. Sometimes Naruto missed the simpler times with Team Seven.

It had been the perfect segue for Kakashi to reminisce about being their jōnin sensei and then suddenly announce that it was Naruto’s turn to have his own team.

Kakashi’s eyes closed and Naruto assumed he was smiling behind the mask. He was probably enjoying the chance to baffle Naruto into silence for once.

“Yes, I do. You still want to be Hokage and it’s the logical next step. Every Hokage has mentored their own team or taken on an apprentice; it’s a fine way to test your ability to develop others and - ”

However Naruto was no longer listening to Kakashi’s carefully prepared speech about the benefits. While most jōnin were reluctant to take on a genin team, Naruto thought it would be a great deal of fun. He had always enjoyed the odd time he was invited to teach at the academy. He grinned with almost manic delight. His own genin team!

He leaned back in his seat at the ramen stand and stretched his arms behind his head. He would get to be the mysterious, cool jōnin sensei who his team looked up to for guidance. He would teach them new jutsu and then they would spend their afternoons doing missions. Then they would all go to Ichiraku’s together for dinner. And unlike _his_ sensei, he would never dodge the bill.

“Naruto? Naruto, you’re not listening to me are you?” Kakashi cut into his daydream. He sighed. “Why do I get the feeling that I’m going to regret this?”

Naruto smiled innocently at him. “This will be fun, do you know who I’m getting?”

“Being a jōnin sensei isn’t _fun_. It’s _work_. You have to recognize your students’ different skill sets and develop them. You have to foster a sense of teamwork between them. You have to keep them safe on missions while also giving them room to make mistakes. Never mind they’re going to want to use dangerous and flashy jutsu straight away and you’ll have to keep them from accidentally killing themselves. And then you have to keep them from killing each other -” Kakashi warily sighed.

Naruto awkwardly laughed as he remembered all the times he and Sasuke had attempted just that. He scratched his nose with his artificial arm.

“We haven’t tried to kill each other in years,” Naruto sheepishly said. “Not seriously anyway, y'know?”

He remembered the first time he and Sasuke went at each other with the intent to kill. He hadn’t fully thought about the consequences of his Rasengan in that moment. He was just determined to beat Sasuke and make him acknowledge him. Kakashi had grabbed them both on top of the hospital and stopped them from doing something they would regret. He had always been there, willing to throw himself quite literally between them and whatever danger they faced. Perhaps he hadn’t been the greatest sensei at the start. ‘Lazy’ and ‘perverted’ were words Naruto and Sakura often used in those days. He eventually grew into the role though. Naruto had always taken Kakashi’s personal nindō, to never abandon his comrades, to heart.

In that moment, Naruto wondered what kind of sensei he would be and what his students would make of him.

“Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto said, suddenly more serious than he had been before. “I know being a jōnin sensei is a difficult job that you wouldn’t entrust to just any one. I wouldn’t be the ninja I am today without the guidance of you or Jiraiya or Yamato. And I also know that if you’re giving me a genin team then you know I can handle it. I won’t let you down, believe it!”

“I believe in you, Naruto,” Kakashi softly said. He pulled three manila folders from the pocket of the flak jacket that he still wore underneath the Hokage robes.

Naruto eagerly took them, getting his first look at his cute new genin team.

~~xXxXx~~

Yukari closed her eyes as she sat cross legged on the ground in the forest behind her family home. She pressed her hands flat together and steadied her breathing. She could hear the chirping of birds in the trees, the rustling of leaves and the distant tinkle of a stream. She breathed in the earthy scent from the ground.

She quickly flashed through her seals and then slammed the palm of her hand on the earth. “Wood Style! Forest creation!”

It was not quite as spectacular as when her father did it. Whereas he could create a forest as old and ancient as the one around Konoha, her's was one of young saplings that sprouted from the ground. He also didn’t need to meditate as she did; he could run through the seals and produce the forest as if it were second nature to him.

Yukari leapt to her feet, wandering around the dozens of saplings that had sprouted from the ground. They were roughly herheight and had a few green branches with leaves. She formed the snake sign and willed one of them to grow larger. It remained stubbornly the same girth. The only change was a new leaf that unfurled from a branch.

Water and earth style techniques came easily to her. It was combining them together into her bloodlimit that proved challenging. She focused her energy on reversing the jutsu, the saplings shrinking back into the earth until there was nothing left. The dirt rolled back into place, leaving the field undisturbed.

Footsteps approached and Yukari whipped around in time to see her father.

“Well?” Yamato asked. “I hear a congratulations is in order.”

Yukari rested her hand on her hip where she had fastened her new forehead protector around her pants like a belt. “What, you mean this old thing?”

There was little doubt that she’d pass the genin exams. She consistently ranked among the upper quarter percentile among all three graduating classes with her grades. The genin exams consisted of a written exam, a taijutsu and bukijutsu exam and then a ninjutsu exam. It was the ninjutsu exam where she shined. After getting her to demonstrate the three basic academy jutsu, the Hokage had given her permission to show off any other techniques she could use in the freestyle portion of the exam. Mokuton was always one to impress due to its rarity. She had created the thin saplings and then weaved them into a wicker basket. The trio of academy teachers who had been judging the exams alongside the Hokage had been delighted. 

“I’m proud of you,” Yamato said. “Come here, I got you a graduation gift.”

It seemed that her father had assembled a mission pack with everything she could possibly imagine needing. Yukari took inventory as she rifled through it. There was a medical kit, sealing scrolls, sleeping bag, a water canteen, two weeks worth of ration bars and food pills. There was a set of pouches that contained smoke bombs, kunai and shuriken as well as a new holster for her leg. There were four sets of handheld radios with the accompanying earbuds. There was also a pair of gardening gloves and some catnip.

“Well, now you’ll be prepared for any mission,” Yamato said. There was an amused glint in his eyes. He clearly thought he was being funny.

“Ah yes, D-Ranks,” Yukari said. She knew that she had months of gardening, babysitting and chasing down missing pets before her. She was not exactly thrilled, but she would pay her dues and work her way up to better missions.

She traced the branches of cherry blossoms that someone had embroidered on the backs of the pouches. The pouches were beautifully crafted and Yukari knew that the weapons inside were just as well made. Subconsciously, Yukari touched the cherry blossom that she always kept tucked behind her left ear. Her father had made it for her the day they first met. She could faintly remember the day as she had been very young. All Yukari could were vague impressions from that time. How terrified and alone she felt. Then someone appeared who could manipulate plants and trees just like her.

“Thank you,” Yukari sincerely said. Whether it was for assembling the backpack, taking her in or rescuing her she couldn’t say. Perhaps a little of everything. Impulsively, she threw her arms around his neck. She felt the awkward pat on her back. Even after all these years, her father still did not quite know how to respond to hugs.

“It was no problem,” Yamato said. He ran a hand through his hair. “It will give you a good base for missions and then we can change it around based on your needs.”

“Sure, Dad,” she said.

~~xXxXx~~

Makoto happily bounded up to his boarding house. The new forehead protector was a welcome feeling wrapped around his head, pushing his messy brown hair up even further.

The houses in this courtyard were all that remained of the former Uchiha district on the outskirts of the village. They were among the few areas that had survived the destruction from the fourth shinobi war. The last surviving Uchiha had given them up to the village and they had been converted into boarding homes for academy students and genin between the ages of twelve to eighteen. Almost all of the residents who lived here happened to be orphans. Makoto had moved in after he aged out of the Konoha orphanage system last summer. The boarding homes were overseen by a nurse named Yoshi and her shinobi husband, Gai.

Between the various residents and Gai’s former team coming and going, the place was always brimming with life. Gai was eccentric, perhaps more so than any shinobi Makoto had ever met. He could turn even the most mundane of tasks into a challenge. It wasn’t unusual to find competitions at three in the morning over who could stand on their head the longest. Makoto held the record for the most ghost peppers eaten in one sitting. Something that had Yoshi exasperated as she escorted him to the hospital with third degree burns in his mouth. “ _Gai has corrupted another one,”_ she had wryly told the doctor in the emergency room.

It was, without a doubt, the best home Makoto ever had.

Makoto entered into the main building that contained the kitchen and common areas as well as Yoshi and Gai's private quarters.The other buildings had been gutted so that they contained several bedrooms along with a common area and pair of bathrooms. Gai was seated at the coffee table with an abundance of scrolls out in front of him. Within the blink of an eye, Gai had them all neatly rolled up. He flashed Makoto a large smile and a thumbs up. “My eternal rival spoke highly of your exam!”

“Did he?” Makoto felt his cheeks heat up. He was not the greatest at ninjutsu, taijutsu or bukijutsu, which were the major portions of the exams. Out of desperation to make a bold impression, Makoto had challenged the Rokudaime Hokage to a sparring match for the freestyle portion of his genin exams.

Makoto had landed flat on his ass within ten seconds. Which he had hoped for and the force dispelled the ink clone Makoto had created before going into the last exam. The ink had formed the seal to release the real Makoto and he had sprung up from the ground, aiming an upper cut to the Rokudaime’s jaw.

Only to land flat on his ass again. However the showing of fūinjutsu seemed to impress just enough for him to pass. He had hurried out of the room with the forehead protector before anyone could change their mind. His teacher, Umino Iruka, had to chase after him later to inform him that he was expected back in class three days from now to meet his new team.

Gai spun his wheelchair around to face him, both hands clenched into fists as he spoke. There was an intensity in his voice as he declared, “You made the most youthful demonstration with your match! I wouldn’t expect you to land a blow on my eternal rival, but I vow that the next time you meet Kakashi in battle you shall land one or I shall run one thousand laps around the village on my hands!”

Makoto rubbed the back of his neck, giving Gai an awkward thumbs up which Gai enthusiastically returned.

An explosion sounded from outside and Makoto could hear a cackle as someone ran off. Tenten’s voice carried after him. “One of these days you’re going to lose an arm doing that!”

Gai hesitated, as if deciding whether he should intervene or if Tenten had it handled.

“Tenten is here?” Makoto eagerly asked. She had taught him the basics of fūinjutsu and the rest of it was trial and error as he developed his own seals. He couldn’t wait to tell her about the ink clones he was working with.

Another resident, Moriko, took that moment to barrel into him. There was a scuffle as she roughly hooked her arm around his neck and ruffled his head with her free hand.

“You passed! Do you have any idea what team you’ll be assigned to? I hear Sakura-san is taking a team this year, oooh, maybe you’ll be with her? She’s got the best punch in Konoha!”

Moriko had graduated from the academy the year before and was a genin on Lee’s team. Two inches of height and a year of training under a taijutsu specialist gave her a huge advantage over him. Makoto gave a valiant effort to get out from under her, giving a sharp kick to her shins. That only prompted Moriko to leap onto his back, both arms now wrapped tightly around his neck.

“Ugh - you’re choking me. Get off! How much do you weigh!?”

“Rude! It’s all muscle!” She eased up on his neck and he was able to wrestle her off his back.

There was a knowing look in Gai’s eye. Makoto suspected he knew already. There wasn’t much that went on in the village that Gai didn’t know. “My eternal rival has found you the perfect sensei who will continue to fan the flames of youth that burn brightly in you! For your sensei burns just as brightly! Together, you shall burn brighter than the sun!”

Well, that was a good endorsement from Gai. Makoto doubted any of the jōnin sensei would be terrible. They were hand picked from the elite jounin and entrusted with training the next generation of shinobi. He desperately hoped to get along with his team. Seeing Gai with Tenten and Lee and then Moriko with her team made Makoto long for that type of bond. The way that they fondly reminisced about some mission or had inside jokes or could read each other with just a glance.

It was going to be a long three days as he waited to find out.

~~xXxXx~~

Kenji silently slipped into the apartment he shared with his uncle. The lights were off and the only noise was the soft hum of the fridge. Kenji found a note stuck to it with a magnet from the Land of Waves.

_Mission came in, sorry I couldn’t be there. Treat yourself and your friends to whatever you like. No parties while I’m gone, or at least don’t get caught. We’ll celebrate when I get back._

Kenji snorted. He was hardly the type to throw a party while left home alone and his uncle knew it. Genma would probably be amused more than anything. There was enough ryō in the envelope to get groceries for the week as well as go out to dinner. He couldn’t say he had any friends to celebrate with. He immediately discarded the idea of celebrating with his classmates. Besides, most would fail their jōnin sensei's test tomorrow and be sent back to the academy anyway. It happened every year. Only a small percentage would actually make it onto a team. The rest would spend another term at the academy and try again in the spring. That class usually had higher success rates. The few who didn’t pass either test would disappear into civilian life or redo their final year at the academy and try one last time.

Kenji wandered the streets, hands in pockets. He watched the people around him. A group of chunin lingered by the ramen stand. Two kids weaved in and out of crowds as they chased each other. Shops were just beginning to close up for the night while the bars opened up.

His meandering took him to the Sarutobi district near the outskirts of town. He walked up the path to a tidy, one story wooden house. There were flower boxes on the windowsills adding a brightness and charm to it.

“Kenji-kun?” Kurenai asked. She seemed surprised, but happy, to see him.

Kenji didn’t exactly know what brought him to her doorstep. He felt the strange urge for company. “Genma left for a mission.”

Kurenai nodded. “Yes, although I gather it’s a short one. He’ll be back within a week. Why don’t you come in? Mirai-chan will be happy to see you.”

Something in him relaxed as he slipped inside. Kurenai had retired from active shinobi duty after having Mirai and was currently worked at the mission desk. She had also become a more common presence in Kenji’s life. While Genma had only introduced Kurenai as an old friend, it seemed that there was more than that. Kenji suspected they were dating. There seemed to be familiarity that went beyond friendship.

“Kenji-niisan!” There was a delighted gasp as Mirai rushes over to greet him. “You’re a genin now! That’s so cool! I can’t wait until I can take the test - do you think Kakashi-same will let me test early?” Mirai eagerly turned to her mother.

Kurenai hummed. “We’ve been at peace for several years now. I don’t think he’ll lower the age limit any time soon.”

Mirai huffed, the air blowing her bangs out of her face. “I’m really good though, I’ve been practicing with Dad’s chakra blades and everything. Want to see, Kenji-niisan?”

“Sure,” Kenji humoured her. He was, admittedly, a little curious to see chakra blades in use. “Why don’t you go get them?”

“I was just about to make a cup of tea, would you like one?” Kurenai lead him to the living room.

The place felt homey in a way that his lacked. Colourful throw pillows sat on the sofa. Potted succulents on the windowsills. A vase with fresh flowers on the table. Photos of family, friends and teams adorned the walls. There were plenty of Kurenai with a man that Kenji assumed was Mirai’s father. The photos of her genin team over the years. Photos of Mirai at every age. Most recently, a photo of Kurenai, Genma, Mirai and him at the dinner they had for his twelfth birthday sat prominently on the credenza.

Kurenai chatted as she prepared a pot of jasmine green tea. Kenji appreciated that she accepted his one or two word answers and turned them into a flowing stream of conversation. She carried a tea tray out to the table in the living room.

“And tomorrow you get placed with your new team. How exciting! I have such fond memories of my genin team - both as a genin and sensei.”

“You know,” Kenji stated.

“Of course I know,” Kurenai replied. There was gentle teasing in her voice. “I helped Kakashi build the teams. Knowing him, he probably would have picked names out of a hat.”

“Who did you put me with?”

“Someone who would be good for you,” Kurenai said with a cryptic smile. “Your sensei has a way with people.”

“Hmph,” Kenji grouched. He had been hoping for a kenjutsu expert, someone to further his skills with his katana. Instead, Kurenai decided to fix him up with a people person. His social skills didn’t need that much work. He knew how to be social. He just chose not to.

Mirai chose that moment to join them. Her fists curled around a pair of chakra blades, both glowed red.

“Not in the house,” Kurenai firmly said.

“Fine,” she huffed. “Come on, Kenji-niisan!”

“Sure, kid,” he said. He flicked her nose as he stood up and followed her out back.


	2. Introducing the New Team Seven

When Makoto dashed into his classroom, he was embarrassed to find the room was packed and everyone was starring at him.

"Nice of you to join us," Iruka dryly remarked. His arms were crossed and there was a stern look in his eyes.

"Sorry Sensei," he sheepishly replied. He tried uselessly to think of an excuse, but being up half the night out of sheer excitement did not seem like an acceptable one. Nor did having midnight wheelchair races with Gai sound like something that Iruka would find humour in at this moment. "I, um, I had to help an old lady carry her groceries inside."

"Yes, best watch out for those." The Rokudaime Hokage said as he stepped in. Makoto's cheeks burned as he realized that Kakashi was making fun of him. "I've lost a few hours helping them myself."

Beside him, Uzumaki Naruto seemed to have lost himself to a coughing fit. Makoto found himself trying to suppress a fist pump. This was too good to be true! Naruto was _here_ in his classroom with the rest of the jōnin. That could only mean that Naruto was getting a genin team. What were the chances he would be assigned to Naruto's team?

Sakura sighed and elbowed Naruto in the ribs, rather hard by the looks of it. Naruto gave her a sheepish smile in response. Makoto slid into the only available seat neat to his classmate, Yukari. Her dark brown eyes held a glint of amusement as she lightly teased him.

"Overslept, huh?"

"I was too excited to sleep," he admitted.

"I suppose now that everyone's here we can begin," Kakashi drawled. "As you can see, not everyone made it past yesterday's little test. You are here because you showed that you have the _skill_ required to become a genin. However, there is more to being a shinobi than using basic ninjutsu in a classroom or throwing shurikan at a training pole. You will be assigned to a jōnin commander who will test if you have the _aptitude_ to be a genin."

Kakashi paused long enough to let it sink in that they would have to pass another test. There were a few groans from some of those raised by civilians. Everyone belonging to a clan or who had shinobi parents or guardians seemed prepared. Makoto was grateful that Tenten had warned him ahead of time.

"Look to your left, now look to your right. Only one of you will make it as a genin. It may sound cruel, but that is the shinobi world. Your team will be called and you can join your commander for your instructions. If you fail their test, you will continue here at the academy until the next round of genin tests in the spring. For those who have already made two attempts, this will be your last. I will not risk your life or the lives of your comrades by passing an inadequate shinobi."

Kakashi stepped aside and nodded to one of the jōnin. She was one of three kunoichi and had long, platinum blonde hair and blue-green eyes. Makoto leaned back in his seat as each group of genin was called and left with their potential sensei. Curiously, he looked around the room for who was left and tried to guess who his teammates would be. He knew that the Akimichi, Nara and Yamanaka clans were often put together when possible and he had one of each in his class. It was doubtful he would be put with any of them unless Kakashi was changing things up. Always a possibility if the grumblings from some of the village elders meant anything.

Then there was Yukari. Makoto wouldn't mind the chance to get to know her better. He had always admired her. She was easily the best in their class and had always been friendly towards him. It also didn't hurt that she had pretty red hair. Some of the other boys in their class teased her about it and tried to pull on her braid, but Makoto couldn't understand why. Especially when she could knock them on their ass if she got angry enough.

Altogether, there was about a dozen students who had passed from his class. The rest came from the other two classes. There was a girl from the Hyūga clan and a boy from the Inuzuka clan. There was also a girl with white blonde hair and crimson eyes who sat at the centre of a group of girls. His eyes fell on a boy wearing his forehead protector like a bandana. He had long, bluish-black hair that was tied in a low hanging ponytail down his neck. As if he could feel Makoto's eyes, the boy turned to glare at him, his grey eyes hard as a rock.

As the jōnin stepped forward and called out their teams, Makoto's excitement grew. About a third of the students had cleared out and Naruto still remained up front.

"Hello, I am Haruno Sakura and I will be the jōnin sensei for Team Six," Sakura pleasantly greeted. She unrolled the scroll and read out the names. "Akimichi Daichi, Nara Rika and Yamanaka Kouta, come with me please."

Makoto waved to Kouta and Daichi as they disappeared out the door with their new sensei. He had suspected that would be the case, but found himself disappointed all the same. Daichi and Kouta were among those he considered friends at the academy. There was little time to dwell on it. Naurto stepped forward next and a hush fell over the remaining students.

"Right, so I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I have Team Seven. That would be Yukari, Makoto and Kenji."

Makoto couldn't help himself. He let out a whoop of excitement. He had Naruto as his sensei _and_ Yukari was on his team. The boy with the bandana gave him an incredulous look. Makoto didn't even care if the remaining member of their team thought he was crazy.

"Why is it always Team Seven." Iruka had that mixture of amusement and exasperation he always had when talking to Makoto. "Well, off you go."

~~xXxXx~~

Naruto led his new team to the rooftop that his own team had had their first meeting all those years ago. He motioned for them to take a seat. It seemed fitting for the new Team Seven that they should begin their journey here. Naruto sat on the railing and regarded the three genin who sat in front of him. Had the genin always been so small? He squinted his eyes as he took them in, trying to remember Konohamaru at that age. 

"Right, so I thought we should take this chance to properly introduce ourselves," he said. "Names, likes, dreams for the future, that sort of thing. Yukari-chan, why don't you start?"

It seemed like only yesterday that Yukari had been a timid little thing trailing after Yamato. Root had tried to make her an empty shell of a child, one of their emotionless soldiers. Over the years the former Team Seven had managed to pull her out of that very shell. The vibrant kunoichi before him showed no trace of timidness as she lifted her chin to speak.

"Hello, I'm Hayashi Yukari. I like sushi, nature and cats. My dream is to become a captain in ANBU."

Naruto tried to hide a chuckle. Yukari was just as determined to become an ANBU as Yamato was to keep her out of it. He would be a poor sensei if he didn't do everything to try to help his students achieve their dreams. Even if it went against his friend's wishes. He'd just have to make Yamato come around to it.

Makoto looked up at him with bright blue eyes. He had messy brown hair was that pushed up by the forehead protector wrapped around his head. He kept readjusting it as if not quite used to the feeling.

"Um, hi, I'm Nohara Makoto! I like my friends, I like drawing and I really like challenges. My dream is to defeat Naruto-sensei in a spar and become the best shinobi!"

Naruto crossed his arms and let out a laugh. He couldn't help but like the kid. "Well, we'll see about that. You have to put in a _lot_ of training first, y'know!"

"Gai-san says that I need to be a prodigy of hard work." He was so earnest as he spoke. He indeed needed a great deal of hard work to achieve that goal. Makoto had ranked at the bottom amongst those who had passed the exams. Actually, there were some with higher scores who had still failed the exams.

 _"_ _Test scores aren't everything,"_ Kakashi had said when Naruto pointed that out. _"Besides, he reminds me of someone I once knew. He'll make a hell of a shinobi with the right guidance."_

Naruto attention turned to his quietest student. Kenji raised his dark grey eyes to look back up at him. He had an impassive face, giving no indication of his thoughts.

"And last, but certainly not least, we have - ?"

"Shiranui Kenji. My likes have no relevance to being a shinobi, unless you mean fighting in which case I like kenjutsu, taijutsu and ninjutsu. I don't have any dreams." He spoke in a quiet, even tone.

"None, really?" Naruto needled. "Why do you want to become a shinobi? Any career path that you're aiming for? You must have something."

Kenji blinked at him, as if unsure how to answer. The poker face of the preteen not quite as strong as it first appeared. "However I'm most useful to the village."

Well, at least his goal wasn't murder or revenge. Kakashi had asked Naruto to watch out for anything he deemed Sasuke- _esque_ behaviour from this one. The kid was incredibly antisocial and had very few ties to the village. Dead mother. Unknown father. The Shiranui clan had been all but wiped out during the Kyubi attack twenty-five years ago. Genma tried his best, but was one of Konoha's top shinobi and needed away on missions.

Naruto would help Kenji find his place in the village.

He could work with this. Naruto clapped his hands together. "Great! As you know, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like everyone in the village, especially my family and friends. And now that you're my team I consider you both! I also like ramen, so prepare to spend a lot of time at Ichiraku's. My dream for the future is to become the next Hokage, however my _new_ dream is to help you all achieve yours, believe it!"

"What about the test?" Kenji asked.

"Oh, yes, that." Right, he still had to come up with that. He was debating reusing Kakashi's bell test, but Yukari might know about it already. He'll wing it. "Meet me tomorrow morning at six in training ground three. Don't eat breakfast!"

~~xXxXx~~

Kenji found his uncle home when he returned to their apartment later that day. He was seated at the coffee table in the living room crushing the roots of a plant into a fine powder, most likely for Shinobi's Tears, a secret clan poison created by one of their ancestors. The Shiranui clan had once been the village's experts in poison and slowly built up an immunity as well as collection over the years. Genma had a tendency to unexpectedly dose his food and drink to help Kenji build up his immunity. More than once, Kenji woke up the next morning with a pounding headache.

"You're back," Kenji stated. The tension that he had been unknowingly carrying in his shoulders relaxed.

Genma nodded, the only sound the clicking of his senbon as he bit down on it. "That I am."

He was back sooner than Kenji had expected and had no noticeable injuries. Mission must have been a success and fairly straight forward. Kenji wasn't privy to the details of Genma's missions. But his uncle specialized in poison and Kenji wasn't exactly blind to the ANBU mask and uniform hidden under the floorboards in Genma's room.

"Kurenai says that you've been coming over for dinner more often."

Kenji shoved his hands in his pockets. "She's a good cook and I can trust that Kurenai-san won't kill me."

"Now, now, you haven't died yet." Genma had the nerve to laugh at him. He splayed his hands out as if trying to keep the peace. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"Oh I don't think any of your poisons will actually kill me, you just don't know how to cook."

"How cute, Kenji-chan is learning to tell jokes."

"Shut up." Kenji settled into the armchair across from him. He flicked senbon at the dart board across from them into the spiral that adorned the backs of the chūnin vests. A comfortable silence lapsed between them.

"The Uzumaki spiral," Genma commented once he glanced up from his work. There was a thoughtful expression on his face.

Kenji blinked. He had never made the connection before. He had studied the clan crests in school, even the nearly extinct clans such as the Uzumaki and Uchiha. It was important to be able to recognize potential blood limits or secret clan techniques in battle.

"You thinking about Naruto's test then?"

"I suppose."

Neither Makoto nor Yukari had been in his class at the academy. While he had been in Ebisu's class, they had been in Iruka's. He had silently competed against Yukari for years. She had the best ninjutsu score and was consistently among the best of their age group. He regularly beat her with taijutsu and bukijutsu. Makoto ranked among the bottom half of the class, however managed to do well enough to still pass the genin exams.

"I won't lie and say you'll do fine," Genma said. "Jōnin tend to look for something other than technical skill."

"The Rokudaime said they test for aptitude."

Genma nodded. "Do you know why genin are places on squads rather than apprenticing one on one with a jōnin?"

"Are you going to tell me?"

"More meaningful if you work it out for yourself."

"Generally teams are built with complementary skill sets. A Yamanaka on their own can't use their mind transfer jutsu as they'd be left vulnerable. They also need the enemy to be still. So they're usually paired up with a Nara who can hold the enemy captive and protect their partner. Genin also tend to be physically weaker and inexperienced thus they work in squads. There's strength in numbers. It's not until you're jōnin level that you can take solo missions."

"Nice textbook answer," Genma quipped. "But you're not wrong."

Teamwork was the answer to the test then. Whatever Naruto was planing couldn't be accomplished alone. Not exactly his strong suit but it would be crucial to their missions later on. He supposed he should have seen this coming. He had always known one day he would be placed on a genin team. At least Yukari and Makoto seemed amicable enough and he knew Yukari at least would be competent.

~~xXxXx~~

Her father was making breakfast in the kitchen when Yukari came out of her room. It was an unusual, but not unwelcome, sight. Since she could be trusted to get herself up and out to school on time, she rarely saw him in the mornings. Yamato was often gone before Yukari was even awake.

"Good morning Dad," she greeted. She started setting the table for the pair of them. "Why are you still home?"

"I sent Kakashi-sama a message that I was going to be late this morning," Yamato said. He then did an uncannily accurate impression of Kakashi's voice. " _'A black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way around.'_ He'll understand."

Yukari grinned as the black cat in question wrapped around her father's legs. Most likely hoping for a piece of whatever he was preparing.

"Come here, Mimi," she sweetly said. She grabbed a can of cat food and opened it before dumping it into a bowl and placing it on the ground. She then used a simple water jutsu to refill the water dish next to it.

"You'll want to conserve your chakra," Yamato warned. "There's water in the tap."

"You worry too much," she grumbled. His tendency to worry could be endearing, but was more often than not frustrating.

" _Yukari_ \- " there was a hard edge to his voice.

" _Dad_ \- " she mimicked.

She turned around to see his exasperated smile. "Fine, do as you like. You'll find chakra exhaustion is not fun."

Yukari rolled her eyes. That was unlikely to be an issue and they both knew it. She had greater than average chakra reserves. A byproduct of the same genes that had given her the ability to use Mokuton. To make a point, she fussed over her plants on the windowsill, using a little of her chakra to perk up a dramatic fittonia that had drooped over the sides.

"Am I allowed to use Mokuton now?"

There were only a select few in the village who knew that she had the ability to use it. Yukari knew it was a S-ranked secret and she was forbidden from using it outside of training with her father or a life or death circumstance. The genin exam was the first time she had ever used it in front of the academy teachers and only because Kakashi had given permission. She hoped it meant that she could use it more often.

"You're a genin now," he said. "You'd be at a disadvantage if you didn't."

"I'll be fine. It's just _Naruto_."

"Naruto-sensei," Yamato corrected. "No matter how familiar you are, he's still your team captain."

"Naruto-sensei," she amended. "He knows, right?"

"I imagine Naruto has been given your files," Yamato said as he began setting food on the table. His eyes crinkled in amusement. "Whether he's actually read through them is another story. He's always known you can use it, as have Sakura and Sai."

"Thank you for the meal," Yukari said. She then hesitated. "Naruto-sensei said we shouldn't eat breakfast before the test."

It went against her instinct to leave home before eating something. Especially for a day that was sure to be physically challenging. The time she decided to join the girls in her class on a juice cleanse stood out keenly. She had fainted that night while training with her father which had lead to a rather lengthy lecture. If that wasn't bad enough, Anko then had gathered all of the kunoichi in their age group into one class for _her_ own lecture. None of them had ever tried a fad diet to lose weight ever again.

"You should always start the day with a healthy breakfast," Yamato lectured. "You're a growing kunoichi and need the calories with all of your training. Naruto is just getting into your head. If you don't eat something, you'll be too hungry to focus on his test."

"Do you know what the test is?" Yukari asked. Part of her felt like she was cheating or playing on easy mode by asking her father ahead of time. However it wasn't like she would go on a mission without gathering as much information as possible first. So really, anything went.

"I don't know for sure. But if Naruto's lazy enough to reuse it - " Yamato grinned. "Let me tell you about the bell test."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This hasn't fit into the narrative as none of my POV characters are privy to much about Yamato's life. I know canonically he didn't have a family name and just went by a code name so my headcanon for this is that shinobi with murky origins from Root/ANBU didn't exist on paper and Kakashi was having paperwork problems. Yamato adopted his current codename as everyone in Konoha knew him by that name anyway and made up a family name. I'm still feeling out how much Yukari actually knows about herself and her father because most ANBU things are highly classified S Rank secrets and she's just a genin.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read/commented/gave kudos/bookmarked the last chapter! :)


	3. The Revised Bell Test

Makoto was once again late. He had set out early with the best intentions, only to have gotten where they were meeting mixed up with training ground six. Luckily it had been Naurto’s wife practicing there with a group of members of the Hyūga clan. She had sent him off in the correct direction with a gentle smile and words of encouragement. 

“You’re late!” Naruto shouted at him. There was no real anger in his voice, if anything, his sensei seemed amused. It drowned out the grumpier greeting from Yukari and Kenji.

“Sorry,” Makoto said, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. “I went to the wrong field.”

Naurto signalled for him to join them. They gathered around their sensei to be given instructions for this final test. There were three wooden posts in the ground and an alarm clock sat on top of one. Naruto dangled three bells in front of them. “You each need to get a bell to pass the test.”

“So you are using the bell test,” Yukari said. She crossed her arms and looked smug.

“What’s the bell test?” Makoto asked, glancing between his teammate and sensei. 

“You need to get a bell to pass the test,” Naruto said in an annoying sing-song voice. The bells chimed as he shook them. “That’s it. If you get them before noon, you’ll pass. If you don’t, you’ll fail.”

Kenji crossed his arms, his lips quirked upwards into a smirk. “He’s testing our ability to work as a team. As long as we work together, we’ll beat him.”

“I suppose,” Naruto said. There was a calculating look in his blue eyes. “But you have to find each other first.”

Naruto crossed his fingers into a T shape hand seal. With that, hundreds of clones populated around the field. Makoto lost track of the real Naruto very quickly. A pair of clones grabbed him and carried him off. Makoto kicked and flailed his arms, but was no match for them. He wildly glanced around, looking for Yukari and Kenji. Only to realize that the Naruto clones had started henging into copies of each of them. There had to be at least a hundred Naruto’s, Makoto’s, Yukari’s and Kenji’s in the field. Each of them warily staring at each other. Everyone seemed hesitant to make a move.

“I’m the real me!” Makoto cried, raising his arm. Immediately he was echoed by the Makoto clones pretending to be him.

“I’m the real me!”

“No, I’m the real me!”

He groaned. He should have known it was not going to be that easy. He needed a codeword to find the real Yukari and Kenji. Kenji was right that they needed to work together. Naruto was too good for any of them to get the bells on their own. 

He grabbed one of the Yukari’s standing next to him.

“Hey!” She cried.

“Who won the first sparring match we were paired up for?”

“I did,” Yukari confidently said. 

It was the first and only time Makoto had beat her in a sparring match. Makoto punched through the clone, dispelling it. Well, that was one down. Another three hundred and ninety five to go. He didn’t think he had that many unique memories of Yukari, despite being in the same academy class for six years. It would be harder to find the real Kenji among the clones as he had less to work with. He supposed he would find Yukari first and hopefully Kenji would find a way to them. 

Luckily the clones seemed to go down easily, dispelling one by one as he made his way through them. Either Naruto was going easy on them or creating so many at once had divided his chakra enough that they had a fighting chance. However at this rate, his own energy was flagging and he would be exhausted by the time he found the real Naruto. He focused on getting rid of the clones of himself, hoping that one of his teammates would be able to find him in the chaos. All around him, fighting broke out amongst the clones.

One of the Yukari’s grabbed him by the shoulder. “It’s me.”

“How do I know it’s you?” He squinted at her.

“Can Naruto-sensei do this?” She asked. She flipped through a few hand signs and a tree root shot up through the ground. It wrapped around another of the Yukari clones, squeezing until it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Makoto had to honestly think about it. As far as he was aware, Naruto could not use wood style. There had only been rumours of one other user since the Shodai Hokage. However, he had never seen Yukari use it either. “How did we get out of our last detention?”

Her eyes widened in panic as she quickly clapped a hand over his mouth. “I thought we agreed never to talk about that?”

Her brown eyes shimmered with anger and a blush crept across her face. Makoto was certain Naruto couldn’t imitate that if he tried. Still, he couldn’t help but take the chance to embarrass his teammate a little.

Makoto grinned. “Oh no, how can I be sure you’re you? Naruto does have the Shodai’s cells in his arm.”

Her eyes narrowed a little as she gave a clipped response. “Fine. I had a clone henge into an older me and flirted with Ebisu-sensei. He was too distracted and let us go. And I wouldn’t have had to do that if you, Daichi and Kouta hadn’t gotten caught sneaking into the weapons room after hours! Happy?”

Makoto grabbed her hand and quickly inked a symbol on it. “Just in case we get split up. Don’t show anyone else. How did you know it was me anyway?”

“Your fighting style,” Yukari replied. “Naruto-sensei hasn’t seen us actually spar. But I’ve watched you for years.”

“You’ve been watching me?” He felt oddly happy at that revelation. 

“Well yes,” Yukari said. “I couldn’t let you beat me.”

Finding Kenji proved to be more difficult. Neither had much to use to distinguish him from a clone. In the end, they hoped that he would join up with them as they worked on finding the real Naruto. However they soon faced a new problem. The more clones they defeated, the stronger their remaining opponents became. 

Makoto ducked out of the way as a kunai was thrown at him, only to stumble into a trap activated by an exploding tag. Yukari seemed to be fairing no better. She backflipped out of the way of one clone only to narrowly duck and avoid a kick from another one. Roots shot out of the ground as she grabbed and squeezed a pair of Naruto clones. Only these ones did not dispel as the earlier ones. Instead, they managed to escape by slicing the roots with a kunai. While Makoto rushed forward to help her spar with them, he noticed a third clone approach Yukari from behind.

"Yukari!" Makoto screamed only to watch as Naruto grabbed her and held a kunai at her throat.

At that exact moment, he felt a pair of hands grab his ankles and pull him into the ground. He tried to lift his leg, but couldn't free himself.

"Got you," said another Naruto as he leapt out from the ground.

The alarm clock then went off and all of the remaining clones _poofed_ out of existence, including the pair that had captured him and Yukari. Makoto could feel his eyes start to water from the smoke. The two of them glanced around, trying to find their sensei and third teammate. Kenji was caught in a net made from chakra wire and dangling from a tree. Yukari was able to use her earth style jutsu to free Makoto while Kenji managed to slice his way out of the trap with his tantō. The three of them looked around the deserted field for their sensei.

“You failed,” Naruto announced from his position in a tree. He grinned as he waved at the three of them. “You know, I kinda like you three and I’m feeling a little generous. So how about we continue this after lunch? This time, there’s only two bells.”

“But we each need one!” Makoto protested. He felt Yukari grab his forearm, but shook her off.

Naruto nodded. “Exactly. I’ll keep whoever gets a bell and the third person can go back to the academy.”

Naruto reached into the top pocket of his flak jacket and pulled out a storage scroll. He bit his thumb and let his blood unlock it to reveal four bento boxes. “My wife made us lunch.”

There was a cheesy grin on his face when he mentioned his wife that was almost sweet. If it weren’t for the fact that Makoto was still feeling annoyed with their test. It didn’t help that Naruto seemed to be toying with them.

Makoto accepted the bento and opened it to find teriyaki chicken, steamed rice and vegetables. The four of them sat under the shade from the tree. While it was technically their winter season, Konoha stayed warm year round. 

“You’re not going to send one of us back,” Yukari told him. “You’re just playing tricks to get us to turn on each out.”

“Is it working?” Naruto flashed them a cheeky grin.

“No!” They were unanimous in their answer.

“It’s cute that you think I wouldn’t send one of you back to the academy,” Naruto said. He picked up a out a piece of broccoli and sighed as he starred at it, like he didn’t want to eat the offending vegetable. “Maybe I’ll send you back, Yukari-chan, for cheating.”

“I didn’t cheat. You’re just lazy and didn’t come up with a new test.”

Naruto shrugged. “Eh, maybe I am. But you knew the answer and still haven’t passed. Maybe you three just aren’t cut out to be a genin team. Sending one of you back to the academy would mean I’d have to get a replacement. Maybe I’ll send Kenji back.”

Kenji gave Naruto a bored looking expression and didn’t respond as he quietly ate a piece of chicken.

“I don’t get the feeling that you really want to be here,” Naruto said. 

“If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be here.” 

Naruto attempted to bait Kenji a few more times before turning his attention on Makoto. “Or maybe I’ll send Makoto back. You had the worst scores out of everyone. I don’t know why Iruka-sensei passed you.”

Makoto lowered his eyes at he looked at his lunch. He didn’t have a good answer for that one. Naruto seemed to pick up on his mood as he changed topics, telling stories about his own academy days. He reminisced about dropping an eraser on his sensei's head the first time they met. 

“Tell you what, I’ll try to make this fair,” Naruto said after they finished their lunch. “Just the three of you against me. No shadow clones this time. You’ll have to come at me with the intent to kill if you want to stand a chance. You’ll have until sunset to get a bell. Anyone who doesn’t have one will be going back to the academy. Begin!”

The afternoon passed in a blur of activity. Makoto inked a double sided seal on his hand, splitting himself into an ink clone and immediately sealing himself within it. He had gotten fast enough with practice that he could do it without anyone seeing the clone. He began to spar with Naruto, aiming kicks and punches that Naruto easily blocked. After a while, Naruto’s foot connected with his stomach in a roundhouse kick. It was enough force to dispel the clone and the ink fell to the earth, forming the double sided seal. The real Makoto sprang up from the ground, his fingers reaching for a bell. Only for Naruto to twist away, using his leg to trip Makoto and break his concentration. Yukari’s roots shot up from the ground, reaching and grabbing at Naruto. He easily backflipped out of reach every time a new root broke through the earth. Kenji unsheathed the tantō he carried on his back, rushing towards Naruto with it. Naruto was able to block his blows with only a kunai. 

The three of them laid in the middle of the training field come sunset. Yukari angrily ripped up the pieces of grass around her. Kenji was resting on his knees, his arms balled into fists on the ground as he panted. Makoto was flat on his back, arms spread out. He could feel the cold dampness of his sweat on the back of his shirt. They were going to fail.

“Are you ready to give up?” Naruto asked. He leaned over them, hands on hips as he grinned down at them.

Makoto slowly rolled up into a sitting position. “You kidding me? I can do this all night!”

Kenji let out a shaky laugh as he pushed himself onto his feet. “I thought today was just a little warmup.”

“I haven’t even broken a sweat yet,” Yukari said, flicking her braid behind her shoulder as she stood up.

“It’s almost dark,” Naruto said. The orange glow from the setting sun illuminating him from behind. “And none of you have the bells.”

“We haven’t failed yet,” Makoto defiantly said. “Not while there’s still light out!"

Yukari crunched into a stance, hands poised to start doing seals. Kenji slipped his hand into his holster, withdrawing a trio of shuriken. Makoto reached into his pouch and pulled out an explosive tag. All three charged at him - 

Only to be caught in an exuberant hug.

“You guys -!” Naruto beamed at them, crushing them all to his chest. “You all pass!”

He released them and they all collapsed back onto the ground.

"Sometimes the mission may seem impossible," Naruto quietly told them. It seemed such a contrast to his usual boisterous personality. Despite his soft tone, there was still an intensity underneath his words. "But I don't quit and I don't run, that's _my_ ninja way. So if you're going to be my team, you need to be prepared to give it your all! Not one of you were willing to quit today!"

The last thing Makoto remembered was Naruto splitting into three before his eyes. He couldn’t tell if it was from blurriness or shadow clones. He woke up the next morning in his bed with a note stuck to his forehead to meet at the Hokage Tower for nine. Makoto cursed when he realized that it was already ten to nine. 

~~xXxXx~~

It seemed that the Rokudaime was accurate in his predictions. 

Of the fifteen teams that had been formed two days before, only five remained. They were assembled on the rooftop of the Hokage Tower early the morning after passing Naruto’s test. Kenji had woken up in his bedroom, his entire body still aching with exhaustion. He didn’t even remember coming home the night before. Genma had been amused, apparently Naruto had carried him home after he collapsed. Makoto and Yukari seemed to be just as exhausted this morning. They were sluggish climbing the steps to the top of Hokage tower. Makoto was swaying on his feet and it was a combined effort between him and Yukari to keep him up right. The Rokudaime had taken one look at them and had raised his eyebrow at their new sensei.

Kenji eyed the other teams. Only four others from his original class had made it. 

The annoying Inuzuka boy had been teamed up with Hayato and Sana. The three of them had been given a Hyūga as their jōnin sensei. Generally pairing up a Hyūga with an Inuzuka was a recipe for a tracking team and Kenji knew Sana was a sensory type.

Then there was Yūhi Naomi who was on a team entirely made up of girls. It seemed fitting. Naomi had been the ring leader of a pack of annoying, giggly girls while at the academy. He was mildly surprised that she had passed as she seemed more interested in gossip and fashion than their lessons. Although perhaps he ought to give her more credit. There was something calculating in those crimson eyes. Kenji had noticed that none of her usual friends had made it this far. The two kunoichi she was teamed with were from a different class. One of the girls was a Hyūga and the other appeared to be clanless based on the lack of distinctive markings or clan insignia on her clothing. Their jōnin sensei was a shinobi by the name of Yamanaka Sai. They were probably being considered for espionage and assassination type missions. 

The third team had a Nara as its jōnin sensei and the standard two shinobi to one kunoichi. There was no recognizable physical attributes among them to indicate if they were from any of Konoha’s clans. No insignia on their clothes either. A team of wildcards and a Nara to figure out what to do with them. 

Haruno Sakura’s team was the final team made up of an Akimichi, a Nara and a Yamanaka. They seemed to be trying to recreate the success of Ino-Shika-Cho more and more these days. While none of these were kids from the main lines of their clans, it was well established that their techniques would work well together. They would be a solid backup team especially with Sakura’a medical expertise. 

They were the assault team then. It made sense with Naruto as their sensei.

His eyes wandered to the Rokudaime and his advisor, Nara Shikamaru. Only to find the Rokudaime starring right back at him. Dark eyes quietly assessing him. Kakashi closed his eyes and his face pulled the mask upwards in what Kenji supposed was a smile.

“Well, you passed,” the Rokudaime said. “I’m sure the Sandaime Hokage had given some motivational speech when I was a genin, something about the will of fire burning brightly in all of you. But I don’t remember it.”

The Rokudaime closed his eyes and scratched at his temple, looking sheepish and surprisingly human in that moment. Kenji had only ever seen the man at a distance for ceremonies. The man made for an impressive figure with his steely gaze and grave speeches. Hatake Kakashi was a legend in the village, but not exactly known for his approachability. He then went on to give them a speech about teammates and friends and how everyone was working together to continue the peace brought on by the Shinobi Alliance. 

They were gathered for their official team photos. One by one the teams were called over for a man named Sukea to take their photo. Naruto stood behind them and dropped a hand on top of Kenji and Makoto’s heads. Yukari was placed between them and wrapped her arms around their necks. Kenji looped his arm around her waist in response, hovering so that he wasn’t actually touching her. Makoto seemed to have no such issue as he wrapped his arm around her and gave an enthusiastic thumbs up with his free hand.

“Now everyone say ‘ramen’!” Their sensei said.

Kenji gave a tiny half smile to the camera. 

Naruto quickly picked up the photo and inspected it. “Look at us! I’ll bring the copies to tomorrow’s training! I thought we should celebrate by having lunch together today.”

~~xXxXx~~

Naruto had given his team the afternoon off after having a celebratory lunch. They were still recovering from the test he had put them through the day before. As it were, he already had to explain to Kakashi why he returned his young genin to their homes on the verge of chakra exhaustion. He had just wanted to push them to see how far they would go. He was thrilled that not one of them had given up on their chance to become genin. He had become very fond of them over a short period of time and hadn't wanted to send any of them back to the academy. 

“I read their personal files,” Naruto said. He tossed the three manila folders that contained the information about his genin on top of Kakashi’s desk. It landed on top of whatever paperwork he had been signing. Naruto crossed his arms as he frowned at Kakashi. “They’re thin. None of them even existed before Pein destroyed the village.”

Kakashi glanced up at him. Naruto could tell he was smiling by the way his cheeks lifted and pulled at the mask. The smile didn’t meet his eyes. He had a sharp, almost predatory look in his eyes.

“Isn’t it a shame that we lost so much paperwork that day?” Kakashi casually asked. “The village was in ruins, things were bound to go missing.”

Naruto nodded, accepting the cover story. “Kakashi-sensei, who are they?”

Kakashi templed his fingers together. He was quiet for a heartbeat before responding. “The short answer is that they were all pulled from Root shortly after Danzo’s death. With the stigma around Root, I thought it would be best to keep their identities secret. Give them a chance at having a normal childhood. Most of the kids under eight had yet to complete Danzo’s training program and had never seen a mission. I found guardians for them and we were able to deprogram most of what they learned. The younger they were, the easier.”

Naruto suspected that there was more than meets the eye to his new team. Look underneath the underneath, Kakashi had drilled into his head. At first glance he had been given three students with the potential to be a deadly assault team. There weren’t many in the village who would have the ability to keep up with him. Just underneath the surface were a trio of orphans with complicated backstories and connections to those Kakashi cared about. Those backstories hid an even darker truth.

“The long answer, well, Makoto is the most straight forward. He was taken from an orphanage outside of Konoha. No records of his biological parents, although it can be assumed they were civilians. No human experimentation aside from the usual locking him up with another child to make them bond before having them fight to the death. Gai believes he’s well adjusted; he doesn’t seem to remember his time with Root. Makoto thinks it was another orphanage.”

Kakashi sighed as he glanced out of the window.

“As for the other two, they were born into Root. Danzo had created embryos and implanted them into some of the kunoichi in Root. You know that Yukari was made from the DNA of the Shodaime?” Kakashi asked. His voice took on a bitter tone. “Well, there was another project. What is one founder without the other?”

“Not - ”

Both eyes fell on the photo of Kenji clipped to the front of the manila folder. It was less obvious as he kept his head hidden by that bandana, but the commonalities were there. The black hair with a hint of blue. The facial structure. He should have seen it. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it. No wonder Kakashi wanted him to keep an eye out for Kenji.

“Kenji was made from the DNA of Uchiha Madara.”


End file.
